ATHENS — In Greece’s new economic order, Chanel is becoming more valuable than cash.

Banks in this Mediterranean nation have been shut down for more than a week and are just days away from running out of money. Many Greeks worry that at least some of their hard-earned deposits could vanish even under the best outcome of renewed negotiations between the country’s leaders and its creditors over a bailout package.

Even those who have hoarded cash fear that the value of the euro will plummet, or that a return to the drachma could leave them stranded with the wrong currency.

And so 48-year-old Sophia Marcoulakis is considering converting her cash into something more stable: a designer handbag.

It’s a luxury the mother of two never would have allowed herself before the banks shut down. But now she considers it an investment, a tangible possession that the government cannot take away.

“You have a feeling that money has lost its value,” said Marcoulakis, a corporate lawyer. “It’s just a number.”

Such is the level of distrust among Greeks of their own banking system, a crisis of confidence that only further weakens financial institutions already on life support. It exemplifies the challenge that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faces in restoring credibility, not only with skeptical European creditors but also among a deeply divided public traumatized by years of austerity.

The question for many Greeks these days becomes whether to spend money now or watch it vanish into thin air later.

For Chris Dako the answer is simple: Buy now. Since the bank closures, the 25-year-old waiter is paid in cash daily. And on Tuesday, he planned to turn that money into new shoes.

“What shoes?” he asked with a smile. “The best.”

Specifically, running sneakers that will set him back 185 euros. He intends to spend up to 500 euros as a hedge against his funds that are now trapped inside his bank account.

“If they want to take some of my money, let me spend it first,” Dako said.

Of course, many Greeks have little money anywhere. Estimates for the percentage of the population living in poverty range as high as 44 percent. Greek media reported that between 40,000 and 50,000 workers were fired or suspended after the banks shut down..

Wealthier Greeks, meanwhile, are storing their money in more traditional safe havens, including foreign bank accounts.

Several Greeks said they were using that mattress money to pay off debt or other bills ahead of time to avoid a cash crunch later. And though having a secret money stash at home is common in Greece, many said the amount has increased. One family hid theirs in the freezer, next to the steaks.

Car sales in Greece surged this spring even as the nation marched toward defaulting on its loans.

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